La machine

The psychiatrist Marc Laxroix (Gérard Depardieu) is a studious scientist of the brains of criminals. He has an unhappy and loveless marriage with his wife Marie Lacroix (Nathalie Baye) and they have a boy, Léonard Lacroix (Erwan Baynaud). Marc has also a mistress, Marianne (Natalia Wörner), who is also his confidante. Marc has secretly built a machine to study the mind of a person to another one in his old house, but he has not tested it yet, and Marianne is the only person who knows. When the serial-killer Michel Zyto (Didier Bourdon) is sentenced to life in the institution where Marc works, he decides to study the mind of the psychopath. Then he brings Zyto to use the machine and their minds are exchanged. When Marc asks Zyto to press a green button to restore their minds, Zyto refuses and uses Marc's body to lock up Marc trapped in his body in the institution. Further, he goes to Marc's house to stay with his family. Will Marc retrieve his body?

"La Machine" is a dark film with a creepy and tense story that could be darker with a different and less commercial conclusion. The plot holds the attention of the viewer until the ending and the direction and performances are top notch, highlighting Gérard Depardieu. Unfortunately this film was only released on VHS. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Memórias do Mal" ("Memories from Evil")

"La Machine" is a violent, very well-made thriller, which proves that when the French aren't too preoccupied with "art" or "social shock", they can make a genre movie just as good as any similar American product. The director shows remarkable attention to detail, and the performances are versatile enough to help you "buy" the various transformations of the characters. Not an exceptional movie, but a gripping one. (***)

Dr. Lacroix (Depardieu) has constructed a machine which will allow him to exchange personalities with one of his patients, a misogynistic multiple murderer (Bourdon).

This thriller is a variation on the Frankenstein theme with the monster as a serial killer's mind unleashed in a psychologist's body. The film is under-budgeted and reliant on dialogue as many French films are. It can all seem a little overwrought and contrived at times, but still it's fairly good.

Depardieu is convincing in the different personalities he has to affect. He is united with his frequent costar Nathalie Baye, although her role is a small one this time. There is even a very faint echo of the "What makes a marriage?" theme from their earlier film Le retour de Martin Guerre. So faint you probably won't notice.

It's my first day on IMDb and my first move here will be to say to the world how awful is this movie. The worst i have ever seen in my life (and i used to be an horror picture fan so you can believe me, i have seen real Z movies). In La Machine, Depardieu plays like a puppet and Didier Bourdon is so ridiculous i felt ashamed for him, I really felt the Chill of Shame. Thanks God, the scenario worth nothing so nothing is wasted.

I cannot understand how the movie "Face Off" could get near 8 on IMDb valuation and this movie, bacause is an european movie, only got 5.4. To me this movie, which is a science fiction or fantasy movie is similar in the fiction, but better